The Mynci Squad: Part Two

     There was a flickering yellow light coming from inside the den; apparently the Kougras were inside congregating with a fire to light up the dark cave. Mono could hear faint laughter from the shadowy depths of the warren.

     "Let's do this," Liza growled, stirring her paint brush in the violet paint resting in the canister. She pulled the brush from the can and gazed at it malevolently as it dripped violet gobs of paint.

     Lance nodded and gabbed hold of his own paint brush-it was full of bright yellow paint-and started flinging the yellow drops onto the den. Liza copied him and soon all of the Myncies were flinging multicolored paints onto the cave, and presently it was covered in vibrant shades of the substance.

     Soon the Myncies had gotten so into this activity that they were yelling and cheering with every fling of paint thrown at the Kougras' den. It was obvious to Mono that the Kougras would hear their ridiculous cries and actions, but he was also caught up in the moment as were they all, and so Mono realized that he didn't really care; he just wanted revenge.

     Indeed the Kougras soon came running outside into the twilight - it had been hours since the Mynci Squad first discovered their paint-covered tree house. The largest Kougra - a Tyrannian male with an intense scowl on his face - led the other Kougras out of the den.

     "Hey!" he cried, looking around in dismay, the scowl never leaving his face. "What's going on here?" he looked directly at Mono, but Keegan was the one to answer.

     "We're just repaying our debt," he replied coolly, flinging more red paint. "We owe you one after your little gift today."

     "What are you talking about?" replied the Kougra leader-Mono later found out he was called the Kougra King. "What gift?"

     "Ha!" burst out Liza with a cold, harsh tone. "As if you didn't know!"

     "We don't," said a Faerie Kougra, her voice cracking slightly as she saw what the Mynci Squad had done. "Please, just tell us what's going on!"

     Pepper glanced at Mono frantically. Mono knew she was regretting what they had done; these Kougras really seemed to have no idea what was going on.

     "Who is your leader?" the Kougra King asked, holding his head high and stepping forward.

     Mono strode forward, followed hesitantly by Pepper, who was looking at her feet gloomily.

     "We are," Mono replied, trying to hold the aura of a leader.

     "Please come inside," the Kougra King said, beckoning toward his den. "We need to talk."

     Mono nodded and followed the King, Pepper trailing behind. They were led into a room lit up by a lantern burning in the middle. There were colorful cushions and blankets spread across the dirt floor of the room-it had an air of true comfort and ease. But Mono felt no ease. He only felt disdain toward what he had allowed his club to do.

     The Kougra King sat down on a large, plump pillow, and Mono and Pepper each chose a pillow of their own in front of him. Mono started feeling uneasy-this Kougra seemed much more old and mature; his club was much more established than the Mynci Squad.

     "Now," the King said, staring carefully at Mono and Pepper, who seemed to be cowering. "First things first. I am called Shvon, and I am the king of my club, the Kougra Crew." He seemed to have the slight accent that many residents of Mystery Island have.

     He looked at Mono and Pepper expectantly. Pepper seemed to be in too much shock to speak up, so Mono took charge.

     "I'm Mono, and this is Pepper," he said, waving his hand toward the spotted Mynci. "We're the co-leaders of the Mynci Squad."

     "It is a pleasure to meet you," Shvon said politely, although his eyes seemed to remain cold and hard. He was clearly furious at the duo for what they had done. "Now can you please tell me what the cause is for this vandalism of our home?"

     Mono took a deep, shaky breath. He felt so much guilt now, and he was finding it difficult to explain his actions. However, right as he was about to attempt to explain, Pepper spoke up.

     "You ruined our home first," she said defensively, her eyes watering slightly. "So we were paying you back."

     Mono looked at Shvon for a reaction, but was met only with that continuous cold, hard stare.

     "And how do you believe we ruined your home?" he inquired, keeping his voice steady and calm.

     "We found our newly built tree house covered in paint," said Mono. "And Liza found your symbol painted on a nearby tree."

     "Our symbol?"

     "Yes," said Pepper. "The letters 'KC' with Kougra whiskers and ears."

     "Indeed that is our symbol," Shvon said, nodding slightly. "But why it was on that tree, I do not know. We would never do such a thing to a new club-or, for that matter, any club. We respect how much effort you put into your headquarters; therefore we would never ruin it."

     "But that's impossible!" Pepper said, her face flushing. "Your symbol was there! Who else would have done it?"

     Shvon bowed his head and closed his eyes for a brief moment. His ear twitched slightly.

     "I believe it was a club that I hoped I would never see again," he said quietly.

     "What club?" Mono asked. "Who are these people?"

     "They are another species-specific club, also based in Mystery Island. They are a very old club, and three years ago they gave us much trouble-we were first starting the Kougra Crew, and we were the only other species-specific club. This club's pride was being the only one, and we took that away.

     "Once our den had been found and we were holding our first meeting inside, these tyrants came out of nowhere. They were like shadows, as invisible as the wind and as quiet as the moon. They blocked out the entrance to our den, trapping us inside.

     "Luckily we were overstocked with food and beverages, because we didn't know how many members we would end up with. (It turned out only about twelve showed up that day, while we were expecting at least twenty). So, although we were terrified and in the dark due to our lantern burning out, we were able to survive for a few days.

     "During those days we began to wonder and brainstorm how to escape. Since we were surrounded by solid rock we decided we wouldn't be able to dig an escape tunnel. After hours of talking about it we realized our only way of escaping was actually socializing with these creatures.

     "So we made our way back to the entrance, but we were still blanketed in darkness, and were still unfamiliar with the cavern's tunnels, so we hardly had any idea of which way was up or down. But we managed to make it back to the entrance, and we eventually got the attention of these tyrants by pounding on the boulder they had placed before the entrance. They opened it up just enough so we could see one of their yellow eyes.

     "I ended up making a bargain with them-I bought them five Shadow Paint Brushes, using almost all of my money. In return they promised never to bother us again. After our release I caught a glimpse of one of them-he was a black lizard-a shadow Techo. And now, three years later, it seems they are back. And they've tried to turn our clubs against each other."

      "But who are they?" Pepper asked worriedly.

      "They call themselves the Shadow Clan," Shvon replied. "But they are known by others as the Techo Tyrants, due to their uncanny desire for power and control. They will do anything to stay on top.

      "These Tyrants require two things of their members. They must be Techos, and they must be shadow colored. Many Neopets have gone as far as used a Morphing Potion just to join the clan. And once they join, they cannot quit; they must continue participating in the clan's devious activities. It's a hard life, but the rewards for these Techos are grand; any previously unknown or disliked Neopet gets to be a part of a seemingly more important whole, and it is a clan that thousands of Techos - and other Neopets for that matter - aspire to. The club continues to grow and thrive, and apparently they also continue to cause trouble."

      Pepper covered her face with trembling fingers.

      "So what can we do?" Mono asked nervously. "This clan seems to be bigger and stronger than either of our clubs, as well as much more powerful."

      "Indeed they are," Shvon replied gravely. "We'll need to plan what to do, but for now all I can think of is form an alliance with each other, so that we're as powerful as possible."

      Mono nodded and turned to Pepper.

      "Sounds good to me," he said. "Pepper?"

      Pepper just nodded. The poor Mynci was still in shock from the whole ordeal.

      "Good," said Shvon. "Now it's time to talk to our clubs."

      The trio exited the den and greeted their clubs separately, telling them what was what. At first the Myncies were upset, since many still believed the Kougras were responsible for ruining their house, and the Kougras were definitely skeptical, which was predictable and understandable since the Myncies were the ones who had covered their headquarters in dripping paint minutes ago. However, once the Myncies and the Kougras learned about the threat from the Shadow Clan-or, as Shvon had called them, the Techo Tyrants-both sides seemed to be willing to make the sacrifice of creating an alliance.

      Over the next few days the two clubs met together to plan their "attack" and fix up the two headquarters. Mono and the Myncies apologized profusely for their actions, and the Kougras accepted their apologies with open arms. Eventually there was a tight bond between the clubs, and even some serious friendships bloomed. But the threat of the Shadow Clan continued to hang over them, and there was constant tension in the air as if someone would snap at any given moment.

      Finally one day they received a letter from the Techos.

      "Bring ten Shadow Paint to the south bridge at ten tomorrow evening," Mono read to the intently listening mixture or Kougras and Myncies. "You know who we are, and we know what you are planning. Do this or there will be serious consequences."

      The Shadow Clan's symbol was stamped on the back of the paper: a thick black "S" with a silver "C" running through the middle, all enclosed in a black diamond.

      "What does this mean?" Pepper asked worriedly. "What are the consequences?"

      "Knowing the Tyrants," Shvon replied, taking the letter from Mono's hands, "something that involves kidnapping, threats, and ransoms. Nothing we can't handle."

      Pepper collapsed onto a grey pillow.

      "Kidnapping?!" she exclaimed, bringing her hands to her brow. "We can't handle kidnapping!"

      "Don't worry," said Skye's new best friend, a Faerie Kougra. "We've dealt with these things before. It's not like the Techo Tyrants ever kill anyone, they just scare the living daylights out of people. That's how they gain power; by terrorizing."

      "Rissi is right," Shvon said, referring to the Faerie Kougra. "As long as we keep a cool head about things, we can take care of it. There's no reason to worry."

      "But can't we just buy the things that they want?" Pepper asked, obviously terrified.

      Shvon only chuckled.

      "Oh no, not a chance," he said, shaking his head. "Then they would think that they have control over us."

      "But that's what you did three years ago when they terrorized you," Pepper argued.

      "Yes, but we were much weaker then, plus we had no idea who these shadows were. But now we know, and we are going to deal with them our own way."

      Shvon's fellow Kougras nodded in agreement.

      "All right then," Mono said, folding his arms across his chest. "Let's get started. Where is the Shadow Clan's headquarters?"

      The Kougras looked at him in dismay.

      "Um... Mono?" whispered Rissi, the Faerie Kougra. "No one knows."

      Mono sighed and rubbed his face with his hands in a frustrated manner.

      "So let me get this straight," he said angrily. "We don't know who is in this club, and we don't know where the club resides."

      The Kougras nodded sadly.

      "Then how are we supposed to 'deal'-" he used his fingers to show the quotation marks "-with this problem?"

      "I have a pretty good idea," Shvon said. "Come to the eastern pond this evening, Mono."

      After a brief moment Mono simply nodded, trusting Shvon, although he had no idea of what the Tyrannian Kougra was up to.

To be continued...